


More Important Things

by MandyinKC



Series: More Important Things [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-09
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2019-05-20 02:58:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14886347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MandyinKC/pseuds/MandyinKC
Summary: Three times in which Hermione Granger stopped worrying about more important things and simply admired Cedric Diggory's smile.





	More Important Things

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: This was originally written for the Random Act of Kindness Competition #5 on Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges over on FFN. I was randomly assigned to the writer, ssdawning, for whom I had to write a story based on her likes. I hope this fits the bill.
> 
> A/N2: This is self-edited so all mistakes are mine, however, the wonderful keeptheotherone was kind enough to pre-read for me. If you haven't read any of her stories, make it a priority to do so, and leave nice reviews. Thank you again, ktoo!
> 
> Disclaimer: The world and characters belong to incomparable JK Rowling.

2 September 1993

It was ten minutes before breakfast was due to be served and most of Hogwarts were only blearily stumbling out of bed at this hour. However, Hermione was not only wide-awake, but also fully dressed with her knapsack on her back and the Time-Turner hid under her robes. She nearly bounced into the Great Hall, too excited to wait for Harry and Ron to finally get around. This was going to be a great year, and Hermione meant to take advantage of every moment and, luckily for her, she had just the tool to make that happen.

Pausing just inside the Great Hall, Hermione scanned the room to find very few people already up and about. The Slytherin table was empty, and Hermione couldn't be sorry about that. There were a group of Hufflepuff boys huddled near their table. Peneleope Clearwater and Percy Weasley sat at the Ravenclaw table, with their heads together. For a moment, Hermione considered interrupting the couple. It occurred to her that Percy had probably used a Time-Turner his third year as well. After all, he would tell anybody who would listen that he had twelve O.W.L.s, so what other explanation could there be for that? An ordinary student couldn't take that many classes without a little magical assistance.

Hermione pursed her mouth, and discarded that idea. She had a long list of questions for Percy about the Time-Turner and its management, but Professor McGonagall had entrusted her with a sensitive instrument. Hermione simply could not betray that trust by blabbing about it to anyone, not even the Head Boy. So instead, she headed towards her own House table, its only occupant Oliver Wood who was bent over a stack of parchments. Somehow, Hermione doubted that he was revising.

"Good morning," Hermione said, as she slid onto the bench a few feet down from Oliver.

"'Morning," he said without looking up.

It's not like Hermione expected Oliver to be a sparkling conversationalist or anything—she doubted he knew her name, or could speak intelligently about anything other than sport—but now that she was sitting alone, she rather wished she'd waited for Harry and Ron after all. Taking out her Transfiguration book, Hermione figured this was as good a time as any to get ahead on her reading if she wanted to keep up with her class load this year. Of course, she already had the first week's reading done for all of her classes. Lying the text open on the table, she buried her nose in theory, only to be rudely interrupted.

"Wood!"

Hermione looked up to glare at whoever was breaking the Great Hall's morning quiet, only to be left with her mouth hanging open. Bounding across the room was a tall, broad shouldered boy in Hufflepuff robes. He wasn't burly like Oliver, instead he was pleasantly fit with wavy, light brown hair, and the most symmetrical features Hermione had ever seen. Except for his smile. It was roguishly lopsided, and made Hermione's tummy do a funny flip.

"Diggory," Oliver greeted. He waved his wand over his parchments and the neatly drawn lines turned into unintelligible squiggles.

"I wanted to tell you in person that I was made Captain this year," Diggory said.

Oliver offered his hand. "I'm not surprised. Jack told me he was going to recommend you for the position, and he'd be an idiot not to."

"That's the nicest thing you've ever said about ol' Jack."

Diggory flashed that smile again and Hermione's tummy dropped then rocketed back in place. She grabbed her stomach, it was the oddest sensation and quite pleasant really. 'Exhilarating' might be a better word actually. She found herself wishing that Diggory would smile again just so she could feel that zing.

"Aye, well, cousins," Oliver muttered, but Hermione couldn't remember who they were talking about. Oh, she didn't care. In fact, she found herself hoping for the first time that Oliver would carry on talking about Quidditch if only to keep Diggory from walking away. What was his first name? How could she find out if Oliver never said it? Could she ask? The thought of actually speaking to Diggory made her cheeks burn with embarrassment. Hermione reckoned she could ask Oliver once Diggory left, but would Oliver know that Hermione found the other boy attractive? The very thought of somebody _knowing_ made Hermione sick to her stomach. Why couldn't there be a book in the library with the names of all the cute boys?

"I also decided to take your advice and move to Seeker," Diggory said.

Oh no, he would be playing opposite Harry! Would it be terribly disloyal if just a teeny, tiny part of Hermione cheered Diggory on when Gryffindor played Hufflepuff? Yes, yes it would. How could she even consider such a thing?

"Good move," Oliver commented. "You were a rubbish Chaser anyway. Regardless, you don't stand a chance against Harry. Best Seeker—"

"Since the Great Charlie Weasley, I've heard," Diggory replied, and laughed.

The food magically appeared on the tabletops, startling Hermione. She jumped back, knocking over a goblet and nearly falling off the bench. When she looked up, both boys were staring at her with puckered brows. So much heat gathered in Hermione's face that she must be the color of Ron's hair.

"Alright?" Diggory asked.

Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but only a squeak came out. Thankfully, she was saved from further humiliation by the arrival of the three Gryffindor Chasers. The girls chatted with Hermione sometimes before or after training, while she waited for Harry. They were friendly and funny, but Hermione had never before noticed how confident they were, or how incredibly beautiful, until she watched Diggory's eyes slide from tall, curvy Angelina to pouty-lipped Alicia to golden, perky Katie. Hermione became keenly aware of the volume of her bushy hair. Closing her lips over her big teeth, Hermione's tummy sunk again, but this time it stayed in the vicinity of her feet and didn't rebound.

A boy as good-looking as Diggory would never notice a know-it-all like Hermione.

Hermione trained her eyes on her plate, utterly disgusted with herself. Honestly, she had twelve classes to worry about, not to mention the incredible task of keeping Harry and Ron out of trouble, it was plain silly to worry whether her hair was too big. Boys were a distraction, one Hermione didn't need.

"Morning, Oliver, Cedric," Angelina said.

_Cedric_. His name was Cedric.

Hermione stole a look at him, Cedric Diggory. What a lovely name. He bestowed that boyish grin on Angelina, Alicia, and Katie in turn. The latter, who was only a year older than Hermione, giggled, which seemed terribly undignified to Hermione. Apparently Oliver agreed, because he shot Katie a dirty look.

"I'll see you around then," Cedric said, waving as he walked away.

"You're welcome to join us," Angelina called, her eyebrows sitting loftily on her face.

"We'd love to have you for breakfast," Alicia added, and the two older girls fell into each other in a fit of giggles.

"Sit down," Oliver ordered. He reached over and tugged on Katie's pigtails. "You three are as dangerous off the pitch as on."

"I didn't say a thing," Katie defended as she sat between Hermione and Oliver.

"No, you just turned into a puddle of giggles," Oliver grumbled, plopping some bacon onto his plate. "Right disgusting, Bell. You could have shown some decorum like…" He pointed at Hermione, eyes squinting. "Like…"

"You don't know her name, do you?" Angelina challenged. She and Alicia sat on the other side.

"Of course I do. She's Harry's friend."

"Which is still not her name," Alicia pointed out.

"'Morning," Katie said to Hermione with a bright smile. "I'd say your name, but it's too much fun watching Wood make an arse of himself."

Hermione blushed. "I quite understand."

At that moment, Hermione saw Harry and Ron stumble in and make their way to the table. She was rather relieved. Maybe now life would go back to normal. She would just stop thinking about good-looking Huffleluff boys and get on with it.

oOo

6 November 1993

After stepping through the portrait hole, Hermione broke away from Ron and raced up the stairs to her dorm room. She was still soaking wet, but her hair was drying quickly. If she didn't get a comb through it soon it would be easier to shave all of it off and start over than try to fix the gnarled rat's nest it would turn into. Not that her hair was her primary concern, of course. Her best mate had nearly plummeted to his death not even an hour ago.

When Hermione burst into her room, she noticed that the curtains on the second bed were pulled, but she could still hear giggling behind them. For a moment, Hermione thought that at least Parvati would stick her head out to say hello, but that didn't happen. It was no secret that Lavender was still cross with Hermione for disparaging Trelawney, which seemed utterly ludicrous. The woman was obviously a charlatan. Hermione couldn't understand why a man as smart as Dumbledore continued to employ Trelawney, much less have a rubbish class like Divination anyway. Still, Hermione was disappointed that Parvati didn't greet her—they were generally on good terms, even when Lavender was in a snit.

Hermione approached her desk, heaped with books, parchments, and quills, and found her comb in the top left side drawer. Of all her classes, she liked Divination the least. A part of her wished she could drop it. Certainly it would be nice to have one less assignment to worry about. She sneered at her dream journal, embarrassingly full of fantasies that were neither prophetical, nor anything that Hermione would ever wish anybody to know about!

She tried to turn her mind to Harry. He'd survived that awful fall with hardly any injury, but Hermione thought she'd lost five years off her life out of pure fright. Yet, the giggles from behind the curtains were too distracting. Easier by far to let her tired mind worry about Lavender and Parvati than to think about Harry.

"Did you hear that he tried to call for a rematch?" Lavender said.

"He's so fair-minded," Parvati agreed, and there was a new round of tittering.

"Fair _and_ dreamy!"

They were talking about Cedric Diggory. Something warm and tingling spread through Hermione as she remembered the Hufflepuff's rumpled, mud-splattered visage at the end of that disastrous match. Hermione, along with Ron, had already raced to the pitch when Cedric ran to Oliver and Madam Hooch, begging for the game to be forfeited and a rematch scheduled. Cedric had pushed his sodden fringe from his forehead, looking completely distraught at having won at Harry's expense. Hermione smiled when she remembered how he'd streaked mud across his face. Hufflepuff won fair and square, but it was so gallant of Cedric to offer a rematch.

Hermione sighed when she thought of how crestfallen Cedric looked—like he'd needed a hug. She had very carefully questioned the three Gryffindor Chasers the other day and found out so much about the handsome boy. He was a fifth year, and quite bright—at the top of their class, in fact. He was a very talented wizard, with an abundance of natural skill. Hermione envied that. Learning theory was a snap, but she would never admit to Ron how much time she practiced wand movement to make it appear natural. Plus, everybody said that Cedric was so nice. Really, Hermione had a hard time imagining a boy more perfect than Cedric Diggory.

"Oh, hiya, Hermione!" Lavender said, climbing out of Parvati's bed. "We didn't hear you come back."

"How's Harry?" Parvati asked, sticking her head out of the curtains. "Not as bad as usual, I hope."

Hermione smiled. "He's a bit banged up, but on the mend."

"We were just talking about Cedric Diggory, the other Seeker," Lavender said. "Do you know him?"

"Um, I've heard of him," Hermione said.

"Lavender thinks he's dreamy," Parvati said in a singsong voice.

"That's because he is!" Lavender replied, and sighed.

"No, you're just boy crazy," Parvati accused with a laugh.

"So what. How 'bout you, Hermione? Are you boy crazy?"

The next thing Hermione knew, her knee was being tickled and she was squirming away.

"She is!" Lavender crowed. "I knew it!"

"How does that prove I'm boy crazy?" Hermione demanded.

"It does, everybody knows it does," Parvati said, and nodded her head sagely.

"So which one is it?" Lavender said. "Harry or Ron?"

"Harry or Ron what?" Hermione asked.

"Which one do you fancy? I bet it's Ron." Lavender pretended to swoon. "There is something about that red hair!"

"You are out of your mind!" Parvati threw a pillow at her friend. "Harry is obviously better looking."

"Um, you two are both barking," Hermione said. Bile collected in her throat. Lavender thought Ron was fit? Ron Weasley? "They are no Cedric Diggory!"

The girls fell into a fit of giggles, but Hermione just blushed. She couldn't believe what she had just said—it was just too mortifying! She would die if anybody found out about her feelings for Cedric.

"Um, I'm going to go find, um, a book…from the library," Hermione said, and rushed out of her dorm room still clutching her comb.

oOo

2 April 1994

It was Friday, that meant that Cedric Diggory would pass by the Ancient Runes classroom on his way to dinner. And it also meant that Hermione would dither next to the door, straightening her books or tying her shoes, in the hopes of catching just a glimpse of him. It was pathetic, really, and she was incredibly relieved that neither Harry nor Ron were about to catch her in the act, but seeing Cedric in the halls was one of the last diversions Hermione had.

Easter holiday was quickly approaching, not that it would be any kind of holiday for Hermione. The whole year had been a disaster. Sirius Black had broken into Gryffindor Tower twice, nearly killing Ron. If that hadn't been bad enough—and it was horrible—Hermione had been on the outs with both of the boys over that ridiculous broomstick and Scabbers. Plus there was that whole debacle with Hadrid and his hippogriff. And…and her class load was too much.

While Hermione adjusted her books inside her knapsack, a group of Hufflepuff boys sauntered by. Cedric was a head taller than all of them. He was smiling that crooked smile, and laughing at something one of the other's said. Hermione wished she could be that carefree.

Once he was out of sight, Hermione made her own trek to the Great Hall, dwelling on the mess she was in. She desperately wanted to keep all of her classes, but she was slowly going mad with the workload. She rarely went to bed before midnight, only to be up again before six. Would she be an utter failure if she dropped just one class? Like Divination. The thought came instantly to her mind, temptingly shiny with the relief it offered. The class was beyond absurd, and Professor Trelawney was useless.

"Oi, Granger!"

Hermione looked up. She was just steps from the Great Hall, and could see Harry and Ron already piling their plates high with food. Her stomach cramped causing Hermione to realize that she may have forgotten to eat at lunch that day, as she had been busy studying for Charms. Looking around for whomever called her name, Hermione spotted Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell blazing a path right in her direction.

"Just the woman we were looking for," Angelina said, hooking her arm through Hermione's.

"What—" Hermione spluttered. Katie had her other arm and the two girls were tugging her in the direction of the staircase.

"It's a slumber party," Katie said. "Mandatory for all Gryffindor girls."

"Did we hear the word 'party'?"

Fred and George appeared in their path, but Angelina expertly directed the three of them around the twins.

"And where is our invitation?" the other twin asked.

"Girls only," Katie said.

"Even better!" they chorused.

The twins began to follow the three of them up the stairs. Hermione thought this was probably a good time to escape—goodness knows the twins provided plenty of distraction. Honestly, Hermione simply didn't have time for such nonsense. Nor did she have much in common with most of the girls in her House. Certainly things with Parvati and Lavender seemed to have devolved into curt nods and tossed hair. Hermione supposed that she could consider Ginny a friend. After all, they'd spent a lot of time together when the boys were angry over the Firebolt. Pulling one arm out of Katie's grasp, Hermione tried to skip away, only to be yanked into Angelina's side.

"You are coming with us," Angelina said, her eyebrow arching sternly. She turned on the twins. "And you two beat it. You. Are. Not. Invited."

"You wound us!" One of the twin's clutched his heart dramatically.

"It was our birthday just yesterday."

"Yesterday," Katie said. "As in not today. See you at training bright and early, boys."

The next thing Hermione knew, she was being dragged up the stairs with her protests being summarily ignored by the two Chasers. Once at the portrait, Angelina turned to look at Hermione. The taller girl's eyebrows were raised high on her forehead, but this time she looked friendly.

"No more excuses, Granger," Angelina said. "We are all going mad with classes—"

"And Quidditch," Katie added.

"If we don't let our hair down we'll all be set for Bedlam before the final match gets here."

"And, no offense, but you've run yourself ragged," Katie said.

Hermione frowned at the blond girl's statement. She knew that dark circles had formed under her eyes, and her hair had taken on a life of its own. Still, it seemed impolite to point it out.

"But aren't you worried about your O.W.L.s?" Hermione asked Angelina. She knew that Angelina and Alicia were in the same year as the twins, and should be revising like mad for their exams. Their entire futures depended on it!

"Of course," Angelina said. "But I can't cram another thing in my head at this point, it would simply fall out the other side. Now c'mon."

Katie muttered the password, and Hermione found herself being hauled through the portrait hole and up the girl's stairs to the fifth year girl's dormitory. There were only two beds, and the room was covered in posters of Quidditch teams and shirtless men—color flooded Hermione's face at the sight of so many rippling chests. Food and bottles of Butterbeer were laid out across two desks, and it did appear that every Gryffindor girl from the smallest firstie to the oldest seventh year were crammed in the room.

"We found her!" Angelina's voice boomed.

"Brilliant!" Alicia bounded over to them in an apron stuffed with brushes and potions. "Hello, Hermione, you are just the girl I was looking for."

"Me?" Hermione asked, feeling her knapsack being pulled from her shoulders. The only time she'd spoken to Alicia Spinnet was when she went to watch Harry practice.

Alicia took Hermione's hand, led her over to the window, and forced her to sit on the floor. "My parents own a hair salon on Diagon Alley, you know. They sent me a new straightener and I've been dying to try it out."

"Um, I'm not sure. I mean my hair…"

"Has a mind of its own," Alicia said, echoing Hermione's own thoughts on the subject. The older girl sank her fingers into the mass.

"Relax, Granger, Alicia's great at hair," Katie said. She placed a plate of Cauldron Cakes into Hermione's hands.

"I haven't had dinner yet," Hermione said.

"Then eat up."

Carefully, Hermione picked up one of the cakes and took a bite out of it. She always liked Cauldron Cakes, but this time it seemed absolutely heavenly. She closed her eyes, making embarrassing noises as cream and icing slid down her throat. If she were honest, it did feel rather nice to have Alicia work a brush through her hair.

"How long will it take? My hair, that is?" Hermione asked.

"You've a lot of hair," Alicia said, and laughed. "We'll be here all night."

"Oh. Can I revise for Charms while you're doing it?"

"No," Angelina said. She sat down on the floor beside Alicia, folding her long legs under her, and took a long pull of Butterbeer. "You don't seem to understand the concept of a girls' night."

Hermione felt her cheeks burn. "I've never had a-a girls' night, I reckon. I'm an only child and—"

She didn't want to admit that she hadn't had many girlfriends before coming to Hogwarts. She didn't really have any girlfriends now. There was Harry and Ron, but she didn't think that they qualified in the eyes of Angelina Johnson.

"So…what do you do at a girls' night?" Hermione asked.

"First rule is to eat and eat and eat," Katie said, taking a bite out of pumpkin pastie.

"And the next is no studying," Angelina said, wagging her finger at Hermione.

"Well, but what do we talk about?" Hermione asked.

"Boys!" chorused three voices, followed by raucous laughter.

"And Quidditch," Angelina added with a grin.

"And Quidditch boys," Katie giggled.

"Only because _somebody_ fancies her Quidditch Captain," Alicia said.

Hermione stared at Katie, and whispered, "You…like Oliver Wood?"

"Sadly, yes, but he sees me as a wee sister." She imitated Oliver's accent, then sneered.

"Take heart, love, if you keep eating those pasties you'll be as round as a Quaffle, then he'll notice you," Angelina teased.

Katie elbowed her friend, but she grinned. "How about you, Hermione, anybody special?"

"Please tell me it's not Ron." Ginny Weasley appeared to sit next to Angelina, who immediately began running her fingers through the girl's red hair.

"No, not Ron," Hermione said, turning bright red.

"But somebody," Angelina said knowingly as she started plaiting Ginny's hair.

"Who is it?" Katie asked, sitting forward as if to gather a juicy secret.

"Um…well… I guess, I think that…" Hermione swallowed harshly.

"Go on, anything said here is just between us," Alicia said.

Hermione blew out a breath. "IthinkCedricDiggoryisveryhandsome!"

Angelina's brows crammed together. "The only thing I caught was Cedric Diggory, so allow me to congratulate you on your good taste."

"He's dreamy," Katie agreed. All three Chasers sighed.

Hermione's shoulders sagged. A small smile crept over her face as her tummy filled with cake and Butterbeer, and Alicia's fingers worked through her hair. This was the most relaxed she had felt since…Well, possibly since the first week of school. Time flowed in a wash of girlish chatter. People wandered in and out of the fifth year girls' dorm, collecting food and friends as they went.

"Hermione," Ginny said, as she scooted to sit next to the other girl. "You look really tired. Ron says you're taking a lot of classes. Actually he says you're taking too many classes."

"Well, of course Ron says that!" Hermione huffed. "He wouldn't have even cracked a book this year if it weren't for me."

"I think he's concerned for you," Ginny said with a shrug.

Hermione frowned.

"How many classes are you taking?" Alicia asked. She separated a hank of hair from the rest and sprayed potion on it.

"All of them," Hermione admitted.

Alicia's hands stilled. "How is that—No, no, don't tell me. But why?"

"I want to keep my options open," Hermione said. "And I want to know everything there is to know about magic and the wizarding world."

"You can't possibly learn everything about magic while at Hogwarts," Alicia said. "And even if you could, why do it all at once?"

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"You have your whole life ahead of you," Alicia said. "That means you have—oh, about one hundred years to learn and learn and learn."

"That's ridiculous!" Hermione burst out. "You can never learn too much, too early."

"And how does all that learning benefit you if you are knackered and no fun?"

"Well, what would you do?"

"I would drop a few of those classes, get myself a best girlfriend, and plan on spending midmorning by the lake every Tuesday and Thursday," Alicia said.

"Why is that?" Hermione asked.

"Because that is when Cedric has his free period, he spends the entire time tossing a Quaffle around with his mates."

Hermione blushed. "He's too old for me."

"True, but he's pretty." Alicia laughed.

Glancing at Ginny, Hermione thought over what Alicia said. The older girl was in the library nearly as often as Hermione was—she'd heard a rumor that Alicia wanted to be a Healer. Still, for all of her studying Alicia seemed to be enjoying her time at Hogwarts much more than Hermione was, and she thought that might have something to do with Angelina and Katie. The three of them were inseparable in the Common room, and Hermione knew just a twinge of envy for that bond. Not that Harry and Ron weren't great, because they were. And incredibly loyal, too, otherwise they would have been shot of her by now! But there were things Hermione couldn't tell Harry and Ron, like about her feelings for Cedric. She'd been guarding her silly crush all year, sure that anybody who found out would make fun of her, but the four girls sitting around her eating and doing hair hadn't done that.

Hermione's eyes searched the room until she saw Parvati and Lavender. It was too late to make friends with them, and Hermione didn't think she wanted to anyway. Her dormmates were too silly, given to bouts of giggling and histrionics. Hermione supposed that was all right every now and again, but the high-pitched squeals that came from their room were turning into a daily occurrence. If she were to have a girlfriend, she'd have to be a sensible sort.

"You know," Ginny said, knocking Hermione's knee with hers. "Cedric is fit, but not like Harry."

"Harry?" Alicia demanded. "You fancy your brother's best mate? Oh, Ginny!"

"What?" Ginny asked, turning fiery eyes on the older girl. "Harry is…well, he's wonderful."

Alicia sighed. "He is, I reckon. And I don't suppose you have a lot of options, being related to half the boys in the school."

"Do you think Harry's cute?" Hermione asked, cocking her head to the side. "He's just…Harry."

"He also fancies Cho Chang," Alicia said.

Ginny's mouth fell open. "What!"

"Sadly, yes. He got all dewy eyed over her before the Ravenclaw match."

"What could he see in her?" Ginny fumed, crossing her arms.

"Okay, Hermione, are you ready to see your hair?" Alicia asked, and handed the younger girl a mirror.

Before her, in the glass, was somebody that Hermione didn't recognize. The big teeth were still there, but the hair was smooth, shiny, and long. It was a pretty brown color that hung to the middle of her back. Lowering her eyes from the sight, Hermione wondered how that girl in the mirror could possibly be her? Was this girl somebody that maybe a boy as handsome as Cedric Diggory could notice? The thought was dissatisfying. Alicia had been right, it had taken hours to straighten her hair, and Hermione didn't want to be one of those girls. The kind who wasted her time on frivolous things like hair care. And that meant she didn't want the kind of boy who would care what her hair looked like.

"What do you think?" Alicia asked.

"Brilliant," Hermione breathed.

"We could go wonder around the kitchens a bit, try to run into Cedric," Alicia suggested.

Hermione felt herself blush. "No, I think I'd like to stay here a bit longer."

"Good answer," Alicia said. She stood up and stretched her limbs. "You ladies have fun, I'm going to find something to eat."

When the older girl was gone, Hermione looked at Ginny who was surveying her hair with a critical eye.

"That was a lot of work," Ginny said, scrunching her nose. "I'm not sure it's worth it."

Hermione shook her head. "Me neither."

"I like you," Ginny said. "You're obviously mental because you're friends with Ron, but at least you're not one of _those_ girls. You know…" She motioned at Lavender.

Hermione burst out laughing. For the first time in months, she wasn't thinking about what or who was planning to kill Harry this year. She wasn't thinking about her classes or Buckbeak's trial. She wasn't even thinking about Cedric. Instead, all she wanted to do was find another Cauldron Cake and talk to Ginny about…anything! It didn't even matter. Maybe they could even talk about how nice Cedric's smile was.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N3: Tomorrow I will post a collection of drabbles to go along with this story.


End file.
